The Biblical story of Noah and the flood has long been a favorite with children and particularly lends itself for telling to small children intriqued with the ingathering of the animals of the world two-by-two on the ark. As such, the ark whether specifically so designated, or apparent from the unique stylized configuration thereof, has been, on several occasions, reproduced as a toy. Examples thereof will be noted in the following patents:
No. Des 140,088 Russell Jan. 23, 1945
No. Des 229,846 Rae et al Jan. 8, 1974
No. Des. 230,366 Schmidt et al Feb. 12, 1974
While such toys are an aid to the telling of the story of Noah and the flood, and function as a play item for the child, either in the nature of a pull toy or a floating boat, they are of little value insofar as physical teaching aids encouraging and teaching manual dexterity, configuration and spatial relationship, and the like.